Trending

California Hospital Bucks State’s Abortion Mandate, Cites First Amendment

Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Humboldt County’s largest city, has become California’s fiercest battleground for the clash of religious freedom, abortion access and rural health care.

The Catholic hospital is accused of denying life-saving abortion care on four specific circumstances described in lawsuits from patients and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. In its defense, the hospital has argued that the attorney general’s commands to follow medical care laws violate its religious principles, saying state enforcement infringes on its constitutional right to religious freedom.

The attorney general’s clash with the Catholic hospital unfolds in rural Northern California, where maternal care has dwindled over the past 20 years, leaving expecting families with few options. Humboldt County now has just one labor and delivery center. Amid accusations that the hospital refused medically necessary procedures, residents are left asking: If something goes wrong, will they get the care they need?

The public first became aware of allegations against Providence St. Joseph in September 2024 after Bonta filed a civil suit against the hospital due to the experience of a former patient.

According to court documents, Anna Nusslock and her husband, Daniel, married in 2020 and began trying to start a family. After enduring the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages, their fortunes shifted in November 2023 when they learned they were expecting twins. Nusslock’s pregnancy was classified as “high risk” due to her age (she was 35 at the time), her history of pregnancy loss, the challenges of carrying multiples, and a rare umbilical cord anomaly.

Eureka lacks care providers with specialized training to guide patients in Nusslock’s position, so a maternal-fetal medicine expert at the University of California, San Francisco “began following her care,” according to the filing.

More here

BACK TO HOMEPAGE